Our Gallery of Winners is for educational purposes, and to give our web site visitors the chance to contact media-makers to praise their efforts. The items are mostly chosen from the U.S. mainstream media available in the last year, using an independent process. Please submit your picks on our Contact page.

They’re kinda… normal?

Questions to Consider:

How does this ad campaign’s message differ from those of other major lingerie retailers like Victoria’s Secret?

Why does it matter that Aerie is using women’s bodies that are not digitally altered in their advertisements?

What We Think:

Kudos to Aerie, which has come up with one of the most body-positive campaigns of the year. Aerie’s Share Your Spark Campaign uses picture of women, not all of whom are models, and doesn’t Photoshop any part of their bodies. These women are 100% real with scars, stomach rolls, and stretch marks, which is how it should be. These young women prove that beautiful is so many different things, and that we should embrace our bodies as they are. Almost every woman gets stretch marks at some point in their life, and EVERY woman has imperfections, so what’s the point of hiding them?

The campaign encourages customers to “share their spark” by using the hashtag #aeriereal on Instagram and Twitter. The website even features some of the Instagram posts and give you the option to upload your own.

But this campaign still isn’t perfect, in our eyes. Aerie’s models could use even more body and racial diversity (although the women featured in the campaign are also models in the shopping area of the website, which is great!). Also, the company doesn’t offer a very wide range of clothing and bra sizes, and its campaign from just last year was hardly in this same vein. But, overall, we think this is a step in the right direction. Although there’s still a long way to go, things are starting to look up.